


ouch.

by fairybreadz



Series: emo markhyuck [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: First Crush, Fluff, M/M, Punk mark, Unrequited Crush, emo donghyuck, jaemin is a tattoo artist, lapslock, mark is a piercer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28148103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairybreadz/pseuds/fairybreadz
Summary: "I think I'm going to get my nipples pierced," Donghyuck said absentmindedly.-----------A story wherein Mark grew up to be a heavily-tattooed piercer and Donghyuck gets the surprise of his life bumping into his former crush, who he never expected would grow up to look like... this.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: emo markhyuck [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2062044
Comments: 6
Kudos: 159





	ouch.

**Author's Note:**

> cw: needle mentions
> 
> pretend this is taking place in a world where covid is not a thing that exists xx
> 
> i hope this one-shot is readable, i haven't really proof read it or run it by anyone! it can stand alone on it's own, but i'm thinking of turning it into the first part of an ongoing series! happy reading! :)

"i think i'm going to get my nipples pierced," donghyuck said absentmindedly.

renjun immediately snapped his head towards him, directing all attention towards the boy sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"this is a horrible idea," renjun chimed in, "you cried for three hours before getting a flu shot. how the fuck are _you_ going to sit tight while a needle bursts through your skin?"

donghyuck waved his hand, shrugging off his friend's concern. _'i'll be fine'_ , he thinks. he stomachs the idea of having a needle pierce him thanks to the adrenalin pumping through his system convincing him that it's a good idea. that it will somehow make him cooler. that finally getting a body piercing will scratch an itch he's been dying to get rid of for... apparently, a whole thirty seconds now. that maybe it will make him feel hotter.

jaemin sauntered into the room, immediately throwing himself at the bed. he swore he aimed for the space between the two boys, but as he landed he managed to elbow both of his friends, resulting in them letting out quick yelps.

"ouch!" donghyuck cried while rubbing his leg, which he was almost certain would bruise.

"see!" renjun exclaimed suggestively, "you can't even handle being elbowed in the shin! how are you, of all people, going to make it through getting your nipples pierced?"

hyuck rolled his eyes, intending to make some witty comeback, but jaemin interjected first.

"what's this about you getting a piercing?" jaemin questioned, "didn't you literally cry and ask for a teddy bear last year when you were getting your flu-"

"I KNOW!" the boy groaned.

"fine, fine! i'll shut up. also, i'll bet renjun fifty bucks that you don't go through with it." jaemin said, extending a hand to their friend to make a deal.

renjun pushed his hand away, shaking his head.

"no deal! i agree with you. he's too much of a baby." he replied.

what exactly did renjun mean by that? it wasn't to say that he was unadventurous, but rather that he was terrified of everything he did. nor was he one for making impromptu plans.

lee donghyuck is the kind of person who would get a headache from staying up all night playing computer games, but assume the worst and that the headache must mean he has some life threatening disease. because webmd told him so. lee donghyuck is the kind of person who would take belly shots off of a stranger at a club, but would refuse to share a straw with a friend. lee donghyuck is also the kind of person who regularly wore andy-biersack-wannabe makeup to the grocery store, yet he absolutely hated attention.

lee donghyuck does a lot of things he doesn't want to do. but his friends were certain that this is where he drew the line.

which is exactly why jaemin was desperate to capitalise upon the moment.

"hyuck, i'm going to drag you to get it done before you change your mind. i have a client at the tattoo shop in like, three hours. there's piercers in the studio, they'll totally be able to do it for you today if you're serious about it!" jaemin said excitedly.

donghyuck looked at the skin on his heavily tattoed friend, who was now laying next to him. he looked at jaemin's stretched earlobes, at the stud in his nose, at his pierced lip. it felt reassuring - surely getting a piercing couldn't be that bad. jaemin, for lack of better words, looked like a 2008 scene kid fantasy. this was the fantasy donghyuck wished he was himself.

so he figured the nipple piercing wouldn't be a bad start. no harm if it's ugly - he figures nobody else is seeing him with his shirt off.

\--------------------------

according to jaemin, taking paracetamol before the appointment helps prevent pain and swelling. so off the three boys went to the nearest pharmacy.

they searched the aisles for a frustratingly long time to try and find panadol, but their search came to no avail. giving up, they crossed an unfortunate path while exiting the store- the piercing counter. there stood a nervous fourteen year old holding a piercing gun to a seven year old's ear.

"what the fuck is that?!" hyuck screeched, "jesus christ, i thought they used needles!"

"look away!" jaemin insisted, turning his friend to face the opposite direction, "those things are so unsanitary and dangerous for ears! trust me, at our studio you will absolutely get pierced with a needle. it's so much cleaner and less painful. those piercing guns will probably give you an infection so bad you'll wish your ear just fell off instead."

jaemin said this in jest, but he should have been more careful to pipe down. the seven year old girl turned to him in shock after overhearing, on the verge of bursting into tears from terror. wide-eyed, he scurried away while renjun let out a chuckle. donghyuck might have let out a light laugh, but you wouldn't be able to tell over the sound of the little girl hysterically crying following the swift _click_ of the piercing gun.

  
\--------------------------

the boy sat nervously on a waiting chair, bouncing his right leg up and down. his bangs swooped over his face as he looked down at his black ripped jeans, tearing at loose strings on its edges which were barely holding on. there was one hole big enough that it basically exposed his entire knee and thigh. he would have thrown them out if not for the fact that he were too lazy to go shopping. he tore at them more and more, wondering where renjun had disappeared to at such a critical time.

donghyuck heard a voice in the distance asking jaemin where his friend was. he heard footsteps approaching as he continued to anxiously pick at his jeans, but was too scared to look up and come to terms with reality. he was getting this piercing done today.

"are you jaemin's friend? i'm ready to start now if you are." a soft voice says from right in front of him.

as donghyuck raised his head to look at the man standing in front of him, his heart began thumping and he felt the entire world around him come crashing down.

mark lee.

mark _fucking_ lee.

the younger boy sat in silence for a few moments, unsure how to react. although mark's appearance had certainly changed, the big and sparkling eyes were unmistakably his. if donghyuck thought mark looked good in high school, nothing prepared his little heart for the sight that stood before him in that moment.

now that mark was approaching his mid-20s, he had grown a little taller, and grown more into his frame. he wore thick black eyeliner, just as black as his tousled hair. he wore a band tee for some obscure metal band hyuck could barely read the name of, let alone actually recognise the group. he paired this with a pair of loose basketball shorts and slippers. everything about mark was a sight to behold.

although he was only one year younger than mark, he couldn't help but feel that the other was so much more mature, and most definitely out of his league.

an uncomfortably long period of silence had passed, hyuck wincing under his breath in embarrassment at how he had made a spectacle out of staring at the other. he wondered if mark recognised him. if the other had, he hadn't said anything. mark was the subject of donghyuck's one-sided admiration from afar all throughout middle and high school. he decided that perhaps being unrecognisable to mark is a good thing- far superior to the mortifying alternative of mark remembering hyuck's twelve year old self. donghyuck's cheeks reddened as he thought back to when he tried becoming a minecraft youtuber.

now that he thinks about it, those videos are still public. _crap_. he really ought to delete them, but he can't remember the password. _what in the ever-loving fuck would twelve year old lee donghyuck use as a password?_

\--------------------------

mark is the reason hyuck has tinnitus. 'fuck you, mark lee' he thinks to himself.

he first laid eyes on the other at the back of the school bus when he was twelve. mark was in the year above, so they never interacted with each other outside of the journey home. his cheeks flushed every time mark caught him staring, which was with embarrassing frequency. but he never had the guts to talk to him. god, no. the awkward twelve year old absolutely would not approach his crush. so, he flirted in the only way middle schoolers in their emo phase know how.

every single bus ride home with mark, he turned the heavy rock music on his ipod up far too loud in the hopes that it would grab the attention of the boy across the aisle.

loud as in, _all the way up_ loud. as in, _i want to show a cool older boy that i have an impressive music taste_ loud. as in, _i will pretend it is only this loud on accident and i am totally absorbed in the music_ loud. as in, _i saw you have a pin with this band's logo on your backpack, so now i want you to believe we should date based off of the fact we both listen to the same music_ loud.

it never worked, by the way. the elder boy barely even looked at him. all it did was ruin the younger's hearing. stupid crushes. _so, so, stupid_.

\--------------------------

the two had remained quiet on their walk over to the piercing station. the tension between the two was unbearable. not the hot kind of tension, but an uncomfortable tension thanks to the extended awkward silence.

he stole a glance at mark, who was apparently now about to pierce his nipples. he notices a scorpion tattoo on the elder's neck. he quickly averts his eyes so he doesn't get caught staring again.

then it hits him. the password for the minecraft account.

" _markismyluv..._ " he mumbles to himself, immediately burying his face in his hands.

"did you say something?" mark tilts his head.

 _oh my god_. he shakes his head in response, internally punching himself.

he shook it off like nothing happened and sat down in the chair, awaiting the fateful moment of the sharp metal poking his skin. his hands were sweaty as he looked around the studio. where the fuck was renjun? his nerves were making him horribly clammy, and this was unaided by the obnoxiously loud pop punk music blaring through the speakers making him feel entirely overwhelmed.

he shot jaemin a quick text asking him to turn it down, but the music persisted.

"would you mind lifting up your shirt now?" mark asked politely. but it was drowned out by the sound of some whiny song by some whiny dude that was probably complaining about his home town. pop punk isn't dead, but maybe it should be.

"huh? i can't hear you." donghyuck replied timidly, gesturing that he couldn't hear well enough.

"sorry. i said would you mind lifting your shirt? i'm going to sanitise your chest now." mark yelled a little louder, still kindly, but the other boy could not hear him.

"again?" hyuck asked sheepishly, gesturing for mark to speak even louder. the music was so ridiculously loud. i don't wanna waste my time, become another casualty of-

"TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT. JESUS CHRIST JAEMIN, TURN THIS SHIT DOWN!" mark screamed into the room, which had turned silent less than a split-second beforehand.

donghyuck blushed at the harsh request. it was okay though- mark's cheeks were equally as flushed. why would the music coincidentally turn off right in that moment.

"sheesh, calm down," jaemin teased, "i just read hyuck's text! sorry. it won't happen again."

donghyuck decided to break the silence.

"take it off like... completely? like, i just lift off the shirt so, like, i'm not wearing it?" he questioned.

"i mean, that's not really necessary," mark stuttered, "you just gotta like... wait a minute."

mark turned around and grabbed a roll of tape off a nearby shelf. he took a step over to the boy who was now patiently sat on the chair, nervously waiting.

"is it okay if i just...?" mark began, touching the hem of his shirt. he gave hyuck a look as if asking permission to lift it up, and when met with a nod of approval he took it as the go-ahead to begin his work. he professionally rolled up donghyuck's shirt, taping it at the very top of his chest to ensure it wouldn't move.

"it's fine like this," he assured him, "i'm going to clean you up now."

he picked up an alcohol wipe, the coldness of the towelette making hyuck wince once it made contact with his skin.

mark's fingers softly brushed against his chest, making the boy freeze up. _'god damn. tell middle school me what is happening right now and he might hyperventilate'_ donghyuck thinks to himself.

the other is so close to his chest and all he can do is pray that mark cannot hear how loud his heart is beating. as the other is turned away while making sure the needle is one hundred percent sterilised, the younger looks at the tattoo collection the man has garnered in the few years since they graduated that decorate the back of his legs.

he sees a spiderweb, a spaceship, and an intricate portrait of someone's face, and probably at least fifty other small tattoos. donghyuck let out a small smile as he noticed a familiar image peeking out the bottom of his basketball shorts... he would recognise the blink bunny anywhere.

donghyuck decided to ask a question to ease his nerves a little and make himself more comfortable.

"are you a blink fan?" he asked while trying to point to the tattoo which was now covered by his shorts.

"yeah." he said dryly. not that he was unenthusiastic about the conversation, but rather that in that moment his attention was focused on the needle he held in his hands.

hyuck gulped, anxiety building within him. he tore at the strings on his ripped jeans again, trying to distract himself with small talk.

"me too." he offered with a shaky voice.

"i know." mark replied with a light smirk.

"you know?" donghyuck raised an eyebrow in confusion, "what's that supposed to mean?"

the other boy let out a chuckle. "you used to listen to _dude ranch_ in its entirety every single morning on the way to school for like, the whole of 8th grade. do you have any idea how loud it was?"

donghyuck's jaw dropped to the floor, a million thoughts whizzing through his mind.

"you remember that?! you remember me! why didn't you say anything earlier?" he shrieked.

"likewise! dude, you didn't say anything either!" mark deflected. touché.

"i don't know, i thought you wouldn't remember me! i was just some nerdy kid you happened to ride the bus with, i didn't think you ever noticed me." he defended himself.

"honestly, i was kind of questioning myself at first because you've changed so much. you look... different now." mark said with a soft expression, looking the other directly in the eyes.

"how so?" he replied. coming across a bit more flirtily than he intended, he cringed inwardly.

"you're taller now. different hair. you really changed, i hardly recognised you," mark began, "but as soon as i saw your face you seemed familiar."

the younger nodded, encouraging the other to continue his train of thought.

"then i remembered where i knew you from. oh, that's the kid who almost broke his nose when he tripped over in the aisle of the bus."

much to his own humiliation, donghyuck audibly let out a scream.

"you have got to be kidding me..." he groaned.

"you wouldn't have even tripped that day if you weren't staring so hard at me. what the fuck was that about?" the elder awkwardly laughed off.

donghyuck doesn't have to wonder what happened that day. he doesn't bother saying it either. he just wants this horrifying ordeal to be over and done with. much to his surprise, the most traumatising part of his day was not going to be the needle that was going to be forcing it's way through his flesh.

their small talk came to a lull which prompted the piercer to begin the process. he promised hyuck it would be over in no time, and that there was nothing to sweat over. the safety of the needle was so far from any of donghyuck's concerns as his former crush stood directly in front of him, one hand on his chest as his big eyes looked up at him to get the go-ahead.

"you ready now?" mark asked encouragingly.

"petrified, but ready as i'll ever be." he assured. he wonders, yet again, where the hell renjun is. so much for moral support.

the needle glides through him after a countdown from three, and he let's out a screech realising what he's done. he would be lying if he pretended that he didn't let a tear out. maybe just one. or two.

"i did it?! it's done?!" he squeals. 

"yup! it might be a little swollen now, but if you can come have a look in the mirror now if you like," mark says giddily, "it looks good on you."

that was all the affirmation hyuck needed that this was a good idea.

he walked over to a full length mirror and looked at his chest. admittedly, it did look incredibly cool. the fact that he only let out two tears? character development. he was starting to grow up.

but not too fast. he started sulking - the area stung a bit.

mark stood next to him, looking forward in the mirror. he rested a hand on the younger's head.

"good boy. that wasn't so hard, was it?" he giggled.

butterflies that donghyuck thought had been dead ever since the other graduated high school suddenly returned to his stomach all at once. every single cell in his body was suddenly aware that mark lee's hand was on his head.

as quick as it came, it was gone after a quick ruffle of his hair.

"good boy? i'm a grown man, not a kid!" he retorted.

"okay, grown man. so i suppose i can't interest you in a post-piercing lollipop then?" mark teased.

"don't test me! i'll have a lollipop! not because i'm a kid, but because i need to raise my blood sugar levels after losing so much blood." donghyuck reasoned.

"losing blood?! don't be a drama queen now," he said. "i'll get you one anyways."

as the other walked off, donghyuck quickly fixed his appearance and gave himself a once over in the mirror. if he knew he would have seen his old cruh today, he would have tried dressing cuter. he waltzed over to jaemin, coughing to catch his attention.

"you have worked here for years and you never thought to mention mark lee works here too?" he said aggressively under his breath.

"oh would you relax. there's fuck all chance he remembers you, anyways." jaemin scoffs.

"surprise, asshole. you're wrong. he remembered the almost-nose-breaking thing." he muffled before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

he turned around to see mark sucking on a lollipop while holding the other in his hand, extending it towards the boy whose chest still felt a little tender.

"here you go. it's cola flavoured." he presented the candy.

"hyuck hates cola with a burning passion," jaemin cut in, "he threw up on me once after accidentally taking a sip of my drink."

mark takes mental note of the name, hyuck.

that earned jaemin a kick in the shins. luckily enough, his tattoo machine was down.

"oh..." mark said dejectedly, "i took the last strawberry one."

he pulled it out of his mouth whilst grabbing the still-wrapped cola flavoured chupa chup from the other. he pulled the lollipop out of his own mouth and extended it towards hyuck.

"you can...have this one?" he offered.

donghyuck let out a loud 'ew' and shook his haid.

"i don't wanna get boy cooties!" he, aged 21 years old, whined out loud.

"cooties? you're kidding." the other laughed in reply, "you won't eat cola flavour and you're also scared of cooties. i can't tell if that's cute or childish."

"gimme that." donghyuck quickly grabbed the candy from mark's grip, making a show out of being happy to take it.

he slid the lollipop into his mouth, keeping his big eyes open and holding eye contact with mark for a while.

"thank you." he broke the silence, "i'm not a baby. i'm a big boy now who wears scary band shirts and has scary piercings."

"you're a big boy who almost passed out from nerves getting one piercing." mark teased.

the younger rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"i'm all grown up now. i could take you in a fight." donghyuck asserted.

"oh, no you could not." mark retorted.

"he could take you elsewhere." jaemin hollered.

donghyuck audibly gasped. that earned jaemin a second kick to the shins. thankfully mark didn't catch it.

a few moments later, renjun walked in.

"renjun, are you fucking kidding me? where did you go? i was sweating bullets without you!" he complained.

"what did i miss?" renjun said devilishly, clapping his hands together and avoiding his friend's questioning.

he pointed at hyuck's chest, signalling for him to show the piercing. he lifted his shirt once more to show off to his friend.

"that looks so sick." renjun said, approaching him for closer inspection.

donghyuck tried to catch his eyes and prayed that somehow their friendship was strong enough that he could speak telepathically with the other through thoughts alone. he tilted his head towards where mark stood, packing away the materials he has just used and cleaning the area.

donghyuck suddenly because hyper-conscious of the fact that the lollipop in his mouth technically had mark's saliva on it, and hid back a gulp.

renjun followed his gaze, trying to resolve the mental riddle hyuck wanted him to work through. it was only when mark turned around for a brief second that renjun came to terms with what hyuck was holding back from saying aloud.

"holy shit! isn't that mark lee from the year above? didn't you used to have the fattest crush on him?" renjun called loud enough that it echoed throughout the entire studio.

mark paused his movements, pivoted on his feet, and took a few steps towards where the friends were talking.

"is that so?" he asked innocently, scratching the back of his head.

donghyuck wanted to bury himself inside a hole and never climb out.

but at least mark found it amusing. he dropped his head and smiled at the ground. 


End file.
